Apparatus for lighting or extinguishing a number of lamps.



PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907. J. ANDERSON & J. H. BENNET. N APPARATUS FORLIGHTING 0R EXTINGUISHING A NUMBER OF LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1906.

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'No. 868,828. PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

NET. NG A NUMBER OF LAMPS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1905.

J. ANDERSON & J. H. BEN APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING 0R EXTINGUISHI Ill/Ir" Gi E jzzz/ezaw/v" (707m yfWf-iazz J6% z 7f. jazz zzgf @Wm AKA/WA JOHNANDERSON AND JOHN HARPER BENNET, OF EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS'FOR LIGHTING OR EXTINGUISHING A NUMBER OF LAMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1 atented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application filed November 6,1905. Serial No. 286,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN ANDEnsoN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, and residing at 23 Almond Bank Terrace, Edinburgh,Scotland, engineer, and JOHN IIARPER BnNNET, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and residing at 34 P01- warth Terrace,Edinburgh, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin and Relating to A aratus for Li htin or Extin uishin a Number D D D Dof Lamps Simultaneously, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic lighting devices which are operatedby temporarily increased pressures in the gas mains, and the object ofthe present invention is to provide an improved actuating device ofsimplilied construction which shall enable a different cycle ofoperations to be carried out in different lamps in a circuit controlledfrom one point.

Devices of this kind have been known which were of service formaintaining one burner alight while others in the circuit wereextinguished, but the object of the present invention is to provide aform of step by step valve, together with suitable actuating mechanism,which shall be capable of general application in say those cases where acircuit contains lamps having two, three or more lights, one or some ofwhich only are required during certain periods The accompanying drawingsillustrate a convenient construction of the improved device, and thefollowing description will clearly explain the construction andoperation of this device.

' In these drawings :-Figure 1 represents the improved actuating deviceapplied to the operat on of what might be called a triple stage step bystep valve. Such valves are themselves known, but the form of actuatingdevice here illustrated is particularly adapted to the operation ofvalves of this type. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken at right angles tothe view shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a modified form of valve.Figs. 4 & 5 are sectional views of an automatic lighting orextinguishing device, according to the present invention with theimproved valve according to this invention applied thereto.

In carrying the invention into effect according to the form shown inFigv 1, a bell a having a guiding rod b, working in suitable, guideholes 0 c, is provided with a pivoted' or pendulum link (I, having ahook or pin e adapted to engage the teethf of a step by step valve 51.The bell a works in an annular liquid seal h, and is loaded to suit theparticular part of the gas circuit at which it is applied, while gasenters the interior of the bell by a pipe j. The step by step valve ismounted on a bracket 7; through which a conduit is formed, and it isthrough this conduit that gas passes from the interior of the bell tothe supply pipe at of the burner.

As shown in the drawing 9 teeth and three holes 11 are provided in theface of the valve. In this way the valve only opens the gas passage oncefor each three successive risings of the bell, as opposed to once ateach alternate rising as in the ordinary form of step by step valve.According to this form of actuating device the valve is arranged withinthe gas bell to which the gas is admitted; by this arrangement we areenabled to employ a much more simple form of valve and valve actuatingmechanism, than has hitherto been used. Also the mechanism being placedin the interior of the bell is less liable to derangement from externalcauses, is much more compact, and has a much better appearance than theforms hitherto known.

The valve shown in Fig. 3 may be substituted for the valve shown in Fig.l, in the case of a lamp which it is desired to maintain lighted afterthe bulk of the lamps in the circuit are extinguished. Thus assume thatthe valve shown in Fig. 1 is in the position shown, and also that thevalve shown in Fig 3 is registering as shown with the passage 0 leadingto the gas supply. Let both valves be now turned through an angle equalto that of one teeth. This will be effected by a single rising of thebell. The valve shown in Fig. 1 will be closed, but the valve shown inFig. 3 will be rotated in the direction of the arrow and consequentlywill still leave the gas port uncovered. These valves are themselvesknown, but the form of valve hereinafter described with reference toFigs. 4 & 5 is new, and its particular use will be recognized from thefollowing description In many towns it is desirable to extinguish manyof the street lights, while certain othersas for instance street cornerlights are maintained burning. Further such corner lights frequentlyconsist of a group of three or more burners while one burner may, insome instances, be sufficient to meet the necessities of the case. Inorder to enable economic methods of lighting such as we have describedto be applied in gas lighting circuits where automatic lighting andextinguishing devices are in use, we have devised the type of ourapparatus illustrated in one form in Figs. 4 d: 5. This form consists ofwhat we shall term a multi-stage stepby-step valve. Thus in the ordinarystep-by-step valve the operations are alternate, t'. 6.,openingclosingopeningand so on.

We have chosen a three burner corner light as the form of lamp to whichour improved apparatus is applied, but it is to be understood that ourinvention requires to be but slightly modified to meet each individualrequirement in a manner which shall be evident from the followingdescription. Three burners 3, l, 5, are supplied withigas through pipes6, 7. The pipe 7 is shown as passing up within the pipe 6, and is usedto conduct a separate gas supply to the central burner, 4. The pipes 6and 7, have outlets S and 9 arranged on the valve seat 10 at differentradii from the center of rotation of the step-by-step valve 2.

In Fig. 5 the valve is shown as having six teeth and is arranged tocarry out two cycles of operations at each revolution of the valve. Twolarge holes 11, are arranged diametrically opposite, and radially withinthe circles of these holes and at an angle of 60 thereto there are twosmaller holes 12 in the disk connected to the holes 11 by a continuousgroove or slot. The opening 8 leading to the side burners 3 and 5 isfurther from the center of rotation than the opening, 9, leading to thecenter burner, 4, but the large holes 11, in the valve 2, are adapted touncover both openings. Thus when one large hole is in register with theopening 8 to the side burners the other large hole is arranged touncover the opening, 9, to the middle burner 4. On rotating the valve,2, through one tooth the large holes, 11, pass out of register with bothpassages 8 and 9, but one of the small openings, 12, is then in registerwith the passage 9, leading to the middle burner. The next impulse ofthe bell or like device closes all passages. Other numbers of teeth andother numbers and arrangements of holes mayas will be readily seenbearranged to effect the results described.

It will be readily recognized that other stages may be introduced in thecycle of operations. Also it is not necessary that there should be threeburners in the lamps which are kept in all night as the invention may bereadily applied to a lamp having only one or indeed any other number ofburners. In other parts of the district employing a three burnercontrolling device such as we have described, it may be desired to havethe lamps completely extinguished during the time in which only onelight is required in the corner lights or each alternate lamp may beextinguished. Such lamps we provide with a valve as shown in Figs. 1 & 2or in Fig. 3.

Claims.

1. A device for automatically lighting and extinguishing street andother gas lamps having in combination a liquid sealed gas bell, gasinlet to said bell, a plurality of gas outlets to said bell, a throughported step-by-step valve placed within the bell and controlling all.said outlets, a pivoted link depending centrally within the bell andacting directly upon the step-by-step valve.

2. In combination, for automatically lighting and extinguishing thelights in a multiple burner lamp one or some only of which lights arerequired at certain periods, a liquid sealed gas bell, a gas inlet tosaid bell, a valve seat within the bell, a plurality of gas outletsleading from said valve seat, a ported rotary valve pivoted on saidseat, said outlets being placed at difierent distances from the pivot,while the rotary valve successively uncovers different combinations ofoutlets at each successive stop of the valve, and means for transmittingmotion from the bell to the valve, substantially as described.

53. In combination, for lighting and extinguishing the several lights ofa multiple burner lamp, a liquid sealed gas bell, a single pendulum linkdepending centrally from the interior thereof, a gas inlet to said bell,a valve seat (10) within the bell, two gas outlets leading from saidseat, a ported rotary valve having teeth on its periphery and pivoted onsaid seat, the outlets from the valve seat being placed at differentdistances from the pivot centers and diametrically opposite, while theports on the valve are shaped to uncover at successive steps both, andthen one only of the outlets and at a third step to cover both portswhile the next step restarts the cycle.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

.TOIIN ANDERSON. JOHN HARPER BENNET.

Witnesses G. BROWN 'lwrmom, HELEN M. REID.

